…seems pretty sure of his facts so i think we have a match.

Possibly, probably even, but a note of caution:

All I did was look for a Lancaster lost on the night of 30/31 March 1944 near the locations you posted…..and I failed to find any…

…but by progressively referencing the crash location to the next biggest/nearest place R5546 was the first Lancaster to ‘fit’ the date, time and other facts that were presented.

Of course it doesn’t follow that the recovered parts are definitely from this Lancaster (or even a Lancaster at all) but they certainly could be. Thousands of RAF bombers were lost over Germany during the war and I’ve made no attempt to eliminate any bomber that crashed close to this location a week, a month or a year before or after this date.

I don’t know anything about ‘Luftwaffen Revue’ but if it was a wartime publication its primary purpose was surely one of propaganda (as would be the case for a similar RAF publication). While it will have some facts in it, everything in it may not be fact.

The time given by the witness is almost certainly a local time but I have to say I’m always amazed how witnesses remember dates from so long ago, especially when the witness wasn’t seriously or directly affected by an event…

…I have trouble remembering the date of something that happened last year…..not sixty-five years ago! 😀

14 Courtesy of Creaking Door above – STBD gunports on nose of Sunderland

PORT gunports, surely? 😉

He is a local who has come across the crash site. He is not an eye witness but knows an old man who saw it and said the crew were taken as POW, suggests a belly landing? possibly.

Some of the crew were taken prisoner so that seems to fit; from the Lost Bombers website:

When lost, this aircraft had a total of 502 hours. Airborne 2213 30Mar44 from Skellingthorpe. While on the outbound leg was hit either by Flak or cannon-fire from a night-fighter. Within seconds of being hit, the Lancaster exploded over Waldbreitbach, a village in picturesque countryside, 12 km E of Sinzig.

Those killed are buried in Rheinberg War Cemetery.

F/S D.G.Gray POW
Sgt J.Grant KIA
F/S A.D.Campbell RAAF POW
F/S G.Wallis RAAF POW
Sgt H.A.Wright KIA
Sgt F.B.Patey KIA
Sgt D.Maughan KIA

Could it be Lancaster R5546?

From the VTTS website:

“Vulcan XH558 has arrived safely at RNAS Yeovilton.
Friday, July 10, 2009 – VTTS

Vulcan XH558 has arrived safely at RNAS Yeovilton.

Weather permitting, she is expected to display on Saturday.”

Re the whole Waddo show and Vulcan subject, would people really have not gone to the show just because they hear that one aircraft wouldn’t fly?

I wouldn’t have gone if I’d known the Vulcan wouldn’t be flying.

Waddington (Saturday) was the third airshow that I visited specifically to see the Vulcan fly; it didn’t show up to one at Duxford in 2008 (due to the weather) but I was lucky enough to see it fly at Cosford.

Of course there were other things that I enjoyed about all these shows but if the Vulcan hadn’t been scheduled to attend I certainly wouldn’t have gone to all three, or possibly any of them.

It is not so much a question of whether I go to a show or not…..rather which shows I go to.

The Vulcans permit issue is bad enough, but anyone expecting to go to an airshow, just to see one type fly is a bit nieve really.

Do you mean ‘anyone expecting to go to one airshow, just to see one type fly is a bit naive really’?

From the VTTS website:

“Permit Update
08 July 2009 – Robert Pleming

The draft report has been delivered to BAE Systems, who have requested a number of minor alterations. The revised (final) report with a covering letter from BAE Systems should be with CAA tomorrow for their consideration.

Therefore, the chances of flying at Yeovilton are ‘fair’ – (not guaranteed but by no means out of the question either).

We will update just as soon as we are certain of the position.”

At least things seem to be improving markedly with communication to the public via the website. Thank you and good luck! 🙂